How do you view the decision to impose the death penalty in Sri Lanka?

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With the death penalty not being implemented in our little island for many decades, the crime rate has increased in leaps and bounds. The offenders of serious crimes, such as murder, rape, drug trafficking etc. are aware that the maximum punishment that will be meted out to them is life imprisonment. Therefore, the seasoned criminals have no fear of committing the same offence over and over again. The value for human life is lost. The kingpins of the underworld are having a free run and it is of grave concern to the peace loving citizens of this country. Some of these criminals are close associates of the so-called VIPs and they act as their agents.

Therefore, the law enforcement authorities should go behind the curtain and bring the real offenders before the legal process. In my view, if the death penalty is imposed, it will be a deterrent to all and the hardcore offenders will think twice before committing any heinous crimes. The death penalty should not only be imposed on drug offenders, but on other grave offences as well.

However, in the current scenario, the Sri Lankan people have lost confidence in the law enforcement and legal process and this is a mockery of justice. In the light of the above, it is my view that justice should be first restored before the death penalty is imposed.

In fact, this country needs the death penalty. However, under the prevailing circumstances and moving to the same tune of malpractices, we cannot envisage a ray of hope – that the death penalty will live up to its reasonability. To lead by example, death penalty should start from punishing the politicos.

I also feel that this is not a good idea. We cannot trust those in power; even if the judiciary gets it right the people who hold political power will have their say. This is already happening with the pardons granted for people who have been indicted and that is very scary. I feel that all of this politically motivated.

When referring to the law and judicial system of Sri Lanka, much of it is in grey. A preventive system should be the first priority; there would then be fewer criminals as people would be afraid of punishment.

Another priority is to reduce the recidivism rate by over 50 percent in local prisons. All in all, it does not mean death penalty is not needed; if prevention and rehabilitation do not achieve its objectives, and depending on the severity of the crime, there may be criminals who deserve it.

The point is that, due to dual standards in reinforcing law in Sri Lanka, the innocent may pay the price and end up in gallows while culprits roam freely. If that is the scenario, death penalty itself is a crime.

This is true. We cannot trust the system, meaning the people who rule the country. We have seen some dubious decisions with presidential pardons and so on, so I too fear that innocent people may pay the price and the guilty get away. Just look at the number of suspected criminals who continue to be in politics. All we hear is that they are being investigated but how many have actually been put behind bars? Sad situation.

The death penalty is not a good idea because there is such a lack of trust in the system and we have seen many prisoners being pardoned for no rhyme or reason. Sri Lanka has too many other problems to look into, so I wonder why this has become such a priority. Maybe the people should be consulted through a referendum.